


I've Got a Secret (I'll die just to keep it)

by like_vines



Series: And in the end, I'd do it all again. (I think you're my best friend.) [2]
Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Canon Compliant, Death Cure Spoilers, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Other, Post-Canon, There's implied minewt but that's it, not really romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-03
Updated: 2015-01-03
Packaged: 2018-03-05 04:36:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3106121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/like_vines/pseuds/like_vines
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"What do you think he's doing now?" Minho asks. "That shuckin' shuck-face."</p><p>Thomas shifts around uncomfortably, grief easily notable in his eyes, and for a second Minho feels kind of bad for picking at the wound. But it fades away easily, because he's an overall asshole and when he hurts, he wants someone to hurt with him. </p><p> <br/>Or: Minho and Thomas talk about Newt in Paradise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I've Got a Secret (I'll die just to keep it)

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to keep this story completely canon compliant but I couldn't help myself and threw a bit of minewt (◡‿◡✿). Hope you enjoy! Minho is fun to write, haha. 
> 
> I never seem to be able to write happy things with these characters, though .-.

"What do you think he's doing now?" Minho asks. "That shuckin' shuck-face."

Thomas shifts around uncomfortably, grief easily notable in his eyes, and for a second Minho feels kind of bad for picking at the wound. But it fades away easily, because he's an overall asshole and when he hurts, he wants someone to hurt with him. And the one thing that keeps him awake at night, the one thing that keeps him from being _happy_ is the fact that he's in paradise and Newt, his best friend, isn't.

"I-I don't know," Thomas answers quietly. It's nighttime, and everyone's sprawled everywhere, asleep, and it kind of reminds Minho of the Glade, which makes him think of Newt, which makes his heart clench. "I don't really want to think about it."

"Good that," Minho replies, nodding. But he still thinks about it anyway. About Newt slowly deteriorating, eating animals and people. He decides that this is his punishment, for being here without him. Newt will make his heart bleed.

Maybe it would have been better if Newt were dead.

Thomas shifts again, twiddling his thumbs. "I think it's better if we think about him before he--before," Thomas amends, sounding like he was trying to convince himself. "Because that was the real Newt. The honest to good one."

Minho keeps quiet, mostly because he has no idea what to say to that. Newt was the type of person who had so many layers to him that you could never really know him inside and out. You could never know the _real_ Newt. Minho liked to think he knew Newt better than anyone else. But maybe he barely knew him at all. Maybe he only knew the outer layers Newt chose to show.

"You two were...really close," Thomas says, and Minho can hear the unspoken question. "I mean, the three of us were close, but you two kind of had your own level."

Minho snorts. "Well, it's not like anyone gave us time to get all nice and cozy," he retorts. "But yeah, I guess we were, kind of. Could have been, if everything was different. But then again, if everything was different, we would be, too."

It's silent after that. Both of them are thinking of things that could have been. Newt is Minho's biggest what if, he realizes. What if he tried harder to save him? What if they tried harder to be together? What if, what if, what if. He shakes his head. Thinking like this would make him crazy. There's no going back, now. Too late to start questioning things.

"You're lucky," Minho starts,"that you only had to stay in the Maze for a few days. You're one lucky shank."

"I know," Thomas replies, and Minho knows he does.

"It messes with your head after a while," Minho continues. "Some days you're motivated to do anything, and some days you just want to smash your head against the shucking walls. In and out of depression. The more work you do, the less time you have to think about it."

Thomas takes a shaky breath. "Newt told me how he got his limp."

Minho whips his head around to stare at him, eyes wide. His throat goes dry. "Really? When?"

"Awhile ago," Thomas says, picking at the grass by his shoes. Minho notices how he avoids eye contact, and feels a tug in his gut. "During the Scorch."

He's lying, but Minho doesn't push it. "Yeah. That shucking slinthead. Him and Alby barely made it, you know. And I...I didn't even shucking _know_." Minho spits the words out like venom. "I didn't even _suspect_. He seemed fine, as fine as you can be in that damn Maze, but all that time he was--he was shucking _dying_. He hated himself, hated everything about the Maze, hated his life, and I didn't even know." Minho's kind of surprised at himself right now. Heart to heart talks aren't really his thing, but it feels good to get this off his chest. And Thomas is the only person he would tell these things to, anyway.

Well. The only person here, that is.

"That dumb shank. He deserved so much more than he got," he continues, feeling slight horror at the way his throat chokes up and eyes burn. "Newt deserved the whole shucking world."

It becomes quiet again, and Minho feels slightly embarrassed. He feels his cheeks heat up and hates how he's suddenly become an emotional mess.

"Minho I'm--I'm so sorry," Thomas chokes out, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

"For what?" Minho retorts, and mentally winces at how harsh it sounds. Newt always told him he did that, always told him he made himself harsh and angry on purpose. "It's not your fault he ain't here."

That apparently wasn't the right thing to say. Thomas blanches, dark eyes suddenly filling with grief and guilt. “I--I just am, okay?” He says, gripping Minho by the shoulders. “I’m sorry, Minho. I mean it.”

He feels his walls starting to come up, feels a _get it together you shucking slinthead, I don't even care_ , on his tongue, feels his body tense up, ready to push the other boy off, but something in Thomas' eyes stops him. He really looks genuinely sorry, and it surprises him, because he has no shucking idea why.

"It's alright," he says, because what else could he say? "It's alright, you piece of klunk."

Thomas sighs, and releases his grip. "Thank you,” he breathes, but it sounds strange, not relieved at all, but somehow relaxed.

Minho just nods, accepting it. Whatever that was, it was obviously something Thomas needed. “Well,” he starts awkwardly. “Good talk, Thomas.” He lays down on his side and curls away from him, not really wanting to sleep but not wanting to do anything else, either.

“Yeah,” he hears Thomas mumble, laying down beside him.

* * *

 

It’s a long time before Thomas speaks again. Everything is quiet except for his voice. The moon seems to stare at him mockingly, the stars shining meanly.

“I saw him, Minho. On my way to WICKED’s headquarters. He--he looked terrible. Nothing like the Newt we knew before. The Flare was getting to him, he didn’t seem--he didn’t seem all the way there. He told me how he got his limp, then. And he wanted me to kill him. He put my gun to his head. And I--I did it.” He takes a shaky breath. “I killed him, Minho. I killed Newt. He’s dead.”

But Minho was already deep into sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't think Thomas would ever tell Minho he killed Newt. Just my opinion. He might make some sort of white lie, like he saw him dead on his way to WICKED, or something like that, but I don't think he would ever tell him. I think he would feel that it wouldn't help with anything, and that it was his burden to keep, not Minho's. Thomas has the tendency to want be a saviour. (¬_¬)


End file.
